Apparatus for heating or cooling chocolate and other plastic materials



W. E. PRESCOTT. APPARATUS FOR HEATING 0R COOLING CHOCOLATE AND OTHERPLASTIC MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-27.1919- Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.-

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WILLIAM EDWARD PRESCOTT, 0F HARLESDEN, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TOJOSEPH BAKER 81; SONS, LIMITED, 01 LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING OR COOLING CHQCOLATE AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS.

Application filed September 27, 1519.

To all 207mm it may concern:

Be it known that T, \VILLTAM EDWARD Pnusco'rr, engineer, a subject ofthe King of England, residing at 29 St. Albans Road, Harlcsdon. London,l lngrland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ilpparatus for Heating or Cooling Chocolate and other Plastic Materials,of which the :lollowing a s i)ecification.

This invention relates to the heating or cooling of plastic materials,more especially chocolatewhich it is desired to treat pareicularly tocool or temper, and relates to improvements in that class of apparatusin which the material under treatment is passed in plastic conditionabout the surface or periphery of a grooved drum which is suppliedinteriorly with a cooling or heating medium and to part of the exteriorof which, if desired, further cooling or heating means may also beapplied, the treated material being removed from the drum by means ofone or more scrapers or other def vices.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus adaptedto more Bi ficiently treat the material than hitherto and the inventionconsists primarily in fornr ing the grooves in the drum periphery ofrelatively considerable depth and cross sectional area and of a wavy,undulating or zigzag contour, the grooves being also parallel andappropriately placed very close to one another.

The drum grooves of the present invention are distinct from those ofknown devices of shallow depth, either parallel or spiral and whichproduce merely a rough ened surface for holding the material undertreatment on the drum, since in this invention each groove forms adistinct chamber of considerable capacity for reception of the materialand is exteriorly closed for the greater part of the circumference ofthe drum by an exterior chamber for receiving a heating or coolingmedium which bears on the periphery of the drum and causes said mediumto more eifectively temper the material.

Thev material under treatment does not extend beyond the peripheral edgeof the drum but is held in the grooves by the exterior chambermentioned.

The invention also comprises a novel form Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented lll ar. 7, 1922. Serial No. 326,931.

of scraper for removing the material from the drum after treatment, thisscraper receivingmovements in accordance with the contour of thegrooves.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation ofthe complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1, Fig. 3 is a partial end elevation from the left of Fig. l, andFig. l is a sectional detail view.

The material hereinafter referred to as chocolate. is fed from ajacketed mixing trough or apparatus (4 provided u'itl'i mire inn blades7) through a pair of feed rollers c which may be replaced by otherappropriate devices to a conduit d through which it is forced underpressure on to the periphery of the drum '6, the said conduit (Zadjacent the drum being suitably flared or enlarged as at f in order topresent a substantial cross-section to the drum periphery so that arelatively large amount of chocolate may be fed thereto under suflicientpressure to fill grooves provided in the surface of the drum.

The drum is shown as mounted on roller bearings it carried by theframing 2' and as is common in this form of apparatus, is suppliedinteriorly with a cooling or heating medium such as water or cold air byany convenient means shown as consisting of channels j in the walls andperiphery of the drum communicating with other channels 71: in thehollow trunnions Z. The primary and essential feature of the invention,however, lies in providing the periphery of the drum with a plurality ofparallel relatively deep grooves g of wavy or undulating contour asshown in Fig. 3, or of zigzag or similar contour extenclin com letel 7'round the drum and separated from each other by as small a space aspossible, as shown at Fig. 4-, the chocolate being fed into said groovesfrom the conduit (Z and completely across the periphery of the drum in alayer or film.

The cross-section of the grooves may be substantially triangular as inFig. 4, or semicircular, or such as to present as large surface ofmaterial to the action. of the heating, or cooling medium as possible,this medium being applied exteriorly by provision of a closed trunk orchamber extending partially round. the drum for conveyance of the asindicated in Fig. 3.

Q 1 nausea? medium to act upon with the chocolate, and where such meansare provided a preferred 0111). comprises a closed chaniher m extendingfor the desired distance around the drum and containing cold air oradapted for circulation 0:; cold water, and provided with transverse l.ai'lies m to assist thc'zigtaag passage orthe fluid, this chamber on itsinner surface heing in direct contact Wit 1 the periphery of the drum,thus closing the grooves 9' over the Whole widthot the drum to assistthe cooling or heating action and serving to retain the chocolate in thegrooves. The said chamber is shown as supported by means or arms '12 ateach side extending from the training t'. I

At a suitable point in the periphery of the drum according to the lengthof treatment which the chocolate requ" s thereon, the removing means areprovided shown as in the form of a scraper 0 comprising a plurality oflingers p of coinlo-lilre "formation each linger adapted to enter agroove of the drum and by preference being shaped to lit thecross-section of the grooves Owing to the particular contour given tosaid grooves it is desirable that the scraper should receive GHCi'WlSQor lateral movements in order to always follow said contour and this mayhe effected by providing the drum with a cam or guide path 9 ofasirnilar contour to that of the grooves and against which a rollerrcarried by the scraper will hear under the action of a spring 8 toreceive the required movements. i

What I claim'as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is 1. Apparatus for heating or cooling; plasticmaterials comprising a drum on which the material is treated and havingperipheral grooves of relatively considerable depth and cross sectionalarea and of a contour other than straight, said grooves presenting alarge surface areafor the action of the temperature changing fluid, anda a adapted to receive the desired temperature changing fluid, extendingpartially around he drum in close contact therewith and closing thegrooves over the Whole Width of the drum, a scraper adapted to removethe treated material from the grooves of the drain, a seriesiof fingerson said scraper dapted to enter said grooves and means for imparting tosaid scraper endwise or lateral movements corresponding'to the contourof the grooves. v 1

in Witness whereof I have signed this SDEClfiQillZlOD;

oman EDWARD rnnscorr.

